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Scarlett Johansson Hacked! 5 Must-Read Mobile Safety Tips

When naked pictures of Scarlett Johansson surfaced on the Web last week, the actress contacted the FBI. As it turns out, Johansson may have been among 50 possible victims of a hacking ring targeting celebrities' e-mail accounts and cell phones. While most...

When naked pictures of Scarlett Johansson surfaced on the Web last week, the actress contacted the FBI. As it turns out, Johansson may have been among 50 possible victims of a hacking ring targeting celebrities' e-mail accounts and cell phones.

While most of us don't have the celebrity status (or enviable curves) of someone like Johansson, we do consider our personal "data" private property. Just imagine how you would feel if the last juicy email you sent to your BFF -- or the "personal" photos your boyfriend snapped or your texts with your ex -- were broadcast on Facebook.

Want to avoid her fate? Here are five important security tips to keep in mind when operating mobile devices:

Get a lock! Use an access code, password or pattern sequence to lock and unlock your smartphone (and other devices) when they're not in use. Left your phone in the ladies' room? This one simple step protects your data when it's out of your hands. The preferred method: Use the security settings section of the device to set a pin number as the unlock code.

Don't tell everyone where you are! There's no reason to share your location in GPS enabled apps. Letting people know exactly where you are based on the phone's physical location is a significant privacy and physical security concern. Many apps today are using the GPS embedded in mobile devices to "tailor" content for the user. You can remove your location by touching the X [in the post]. Once you take that step, the app will remember the setting and not share location information in future posts.

Be wary of public Wi-Fi hotspots. It's easy -- very easy -- to capture a user's credentials on an open Wi-Fi connection and login as them with a simple "double-click." Scary, right? The best advice: review each of your email and social networking applications to ensure encryption (HTTPS) is used for the entire session. Better yet, avoid open Wi-Fi hotspots altogether if you can.

Get secure. Use a mobile security application to protect against mobile malware (malicious software) and lost or stolen devices. Look for one with "Remote Lock and Wipe" capabilities in case you lose your phone. Many of these applications offer data backup in the event the device "goes for a swim" (i.e. gets wet by accident) and many offer protection against malware, which is a growing concern for mobile devices.

Back up your data. Perform device backups regularly and purge personal and business data at the same time. This provides integrity of data if the device is lost or broken, while at the same time limiting the amount of confidential data stored on the device at any given time.